RESIDENTS of three care homes in Elmbridge face an uncertain future, after their owner announced plans to sell them to another care provider.

Kingston & Wimbledon YMCA (KWYMCA) said its decision to sell the care homes — The Summers and Langdown in West Molesey, and Rodney House in Walton — was purely strategic, and denied accusations it would just sell the homes to the highest bidder.

But the move has been met with concerns that residents may not receive a service that matches the current high standard.

The search for new ownership is already under way, as the KWYMCA awaits expressions of interest from potential buyers.

The Molesey-based homes are next to one another in Yeend Close, with Langdown providing support for people with learning disabilities and The Summers concentrating on those with physical disabilities. Rodney House also caters for those with learning disabilities.

In total, the three homes provide 65 long-term places and 10 places for short-term breaks for those in need of respite care.

At present residents come to the homes after referral from Surrey County Council (SCC), which also provides the staff.

West Molesey resident Eric Ponsford said it was vitally important that his 50-year-old sister Patsy, who has learning disabilities and has lived at Langdown for 17 years, continued to receive top-class care.

“The KWYMCA has done a good job of running this service since it took over in 1996,” he said. “But will it be run as well by a private firm, which is in it for the money?”

Mr Ponsford said he believed this to be the motivating factor behind the sale, and that allowing the wrong buyer to get its hands on the properties could prove calamitous.

He said: “In my mind, there is a lot that the Kingston & Wimbledon YMCA is not telling us.

“My main concern is if a large firm buys the homes to make money rather than to look after the residents.

“I am not knocking what the association has done, but I am concerned for the future.

“The representatives from the KWYMCA always have an answer ready for us, but they don’t really answer the question.”

Ian Green, chief executive of KWYMCA, denied the sale revolved around financial issues, instead claiming the organisation felt it was time to withdraw from a field in which it had relatively little experience.

He said: “The YMCA in England usually deals with young men between the ages of 16 and 25, and has minimal experience dealing with residential care for adults.

“While we have provided a high level of care during the past 11 years, we feel a specialist provider would be able to offer a better level of care.”

Mr Green also quashed the notion that the homes could go to a high bidder who had no interest in residents’ futures.

“There are clear criteria set out,” he said. “Whoever buys these properties has to guarantee to us and SCC that residents and staff will be transferred accordingly, and it must be a service with a good track record.”

He added that the prospective buyer must also meet the requirements laid out by the Commission for Social Care and Inspection, the government body that regulates social care.

“Change is always difficult, and we understand this is an uncertain time for residents and carers,” Mr Green said.

“We are trying to be open and transparent about the process, and we will keep people completely involved as developments occur.”